Starmer

[Bangersanmash 5,144]

Just now, Pardus said:

If they didn't sing they'd cry, them sleepers weigh a quarter of a ton.

Let them cry lol 

[Bangersanmash 5,144]

This is why there needs to be more truthless punishment handed out. I would of rounded them up. Taken to a cell given the up most beating that man can imagine. For many they'd have been shot on the spot. You cant be having this ffs. 

[WILF 49,895]

Everyone: Labour & the SNP are unelectable, traitorous loons !

Scotland: Hold my beer !! 

[FLATTOP 5,169]

9 hours ago, Pardus said:

I can graft with the best, proper track work is hard work, have you tried digging ballast, makes coal feel like powdered milk. I only get the feet up when I'm Engineering Supervisor for the night, my job is to look after the trains and machines in the possession, when I'm doing that I'm in the van all night, no kipping at all, just relaxing my legs.

Ahhh Ballast sharp and angular holds formation longitudinally and laterally and assists drainage, and almost impossible to dig in summer heat and winter ice lol, a distant memory thank god.

[FLATTOP 5,169]

9 hours ago, Pardus said:

 

Amateurs they should have dug a channel in the 6 foot to enable to turn that sleeper and lift it out

[Pardus 1,610]

3 minutes ago, FLATTOP said:

Ahhh Ballast sharp and angular holds formation longitudinally and laterally and assists drainage, and almost impossible to dig in summer heat and winter ice lol, a distant memory thank god.

That's all I did when I joined in 2002, sleeper changing, and not NWR sleeper changing, proper Mr's sleeper changing lol. All by hand, 6-7 per man, 5 or 6 in a gang. I was the youngest in the gang, my good mate, 6 year older, so, we ended up doing the lions share, looking after the elders, just pure graft. 

[Pardus 1,610]

2 minutes ago, FLATTOP said:

Amateurs they should have dug a channel in the 6 foot to enable to turn that sleeper and lift it out

The same on that NWR video, four men for a wood, you having a laugh, it was one sleeper, one man, softwood or hardwood, get it on your shoulder, jobs a good un. 

[FLATTOP 5,169]

5 minutes ago, Pardus said:

The same on that NWR video, four men for a wood, you having a laugh, it was one sleeper, one man, softwood or hardwood, get it on your shoulder, jobs a good un. 

We used to change 6 at a time and move on those bloody concrete’s are heavy though about 300kgs ish and bloody deep to dig out I used to have forearms like popeye in those days good laugh though plenty of banter and abuse where we raced each other.

[WataWalloper 3,534]

That ballast is brutal to dig in haha I don’t envy you lads that do it regular haha 

[Pardus 1,610]

14 minutes ago, FLATTOP said:

We used to change 6 at a time and move on those bloody concrete’s are heavy though about 300kgs ish and bloody deep to dig out I used to have forearms like popeye in those days good laugh though plenty of banter and abuse where we raced each other.

250kg a concrete mate, those hardwood switch timbers are some weight as well, it was one of those that took my finger end clean off. Yes, from 18 onwards I was as fit as a fiddle and as strong as a bull. This NWR maintenance is nothing compared to those days, when you're changing a handful compared to 30-40 a day, different gravy. 

Our Foreman used to be proper keen so if we were on a big job with multiple gangs, we'd load our trolleys up first and start at the far end, of course that means when we finished we'd have to work our way back through the other gangs, well some soon cottoned on so would slow time knowing that we'd muck in to help them finish. They were all old mining lads, salt of the earth so we didn't mind, miss those lads and miss the days, many have now passed.

[FLATTOP 5,169]

3 minutes ago, Pardus said:

250kg a concrete mate, those hardwood switch timbers are some weight as well, it was one of those that took my finger end clean off. Yes, from 18 onwards I was as fit as a fiddle and as strong as a bull. This NWR maintenance is nothing compared to those days, when you're changing a handful compared to 30-40 a day, different gravy. 

Our Foreman used to be proper keen so if we were on a big job with multiple gangs, we'd load our trolleys up first and start at the far end, of course that means when we finished we'd have to work our way back through the other gangs, well some soon cottoned on so would slow time knowing that we'd muck in to help them finish. They were all old mining lads, salt of the earth so we didn't mind, miss those lads and miss the days, many have now passed.

It’s funny looking at that NWR video those sleeper lifters are pathetic compared to the original ones with the wood with a chain hanging down with either sleeper grips or rail head grips, I’ve actually got a pair in my garage which I found in an old signal box donkeys years ago before they banned them, we used to call them shacks or they were sometimes called sleeper dogs there worth a few quid now if you can find them very rare if you do though.

[Pardus 1,610]

5 minutes ago, FLATTOP said:

It’s funny looking at that NWR video those sleeper lifters are pathetic compared to the original ones with the wood with a chain hanging down with either sleeper grips or rail head grips, I’ve actually got a pair in my garage which I found in an old signal box donkeys years ago before they banned them, we used to call them shacks or they were sometimes called sleeper dogs there worth a few quid now if you can find them very rare if you do though.

Aye, these shovels we use are shite as well, we used to use Bulldogs, snapped a few in my time like but once they get shaped to your digging style they can't be beat.

[scotty12 3,808]

3 hours ago, WILF said:

Everyone: Labour & the SNP are unelectable, traitorous loons !

Scotland: Hold my beer !! 

Rigged mate 100% theres no way reform came third in Larkhall stonehouse  and Hamilton there more staunch than Belfast lol 

[chartpolski 27,842]

30 minutes ago, scotty12 said:

Rigged mate 100% theres no way reform came third in Larkhall stonehouse  and Hamilton there more staunch than Belfast lol 

Who do you think rigged it Scotty ?

Surely not the “Establishment” , they are hell bent on destroying Reform !

Cheers.

[tatsblisters 10,947]

1 hour ago, FLATTOP said:

Ahhh Ballast sharp and angular holds formation longitudinally and laterally and assists drainage, and almost impossible to dig in summer heat and winter ice lol, a distant memory thank god.

Did you have round shovels like we had down the pit a lot easier to shovel coal and rock with we called them banjos.